Before the Republican National Convention, former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke was thinking about running for Congress against House Republican Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana (who in turn once sold himself to voters as “David Duke without the baggage”). Way back in early July, he linked his interest in elected office to Trump’s success in the GOP primary.
“I’ve said everything that Donald Trump is saying and more,” Duke told The Daily Beast. “I think Trump is riding a wave of anti-establishment feeling that I’ve been nurturing for 25 years.”
Now, after observing the RNC’s four-day cavalcade of racial incitement, Duke has upped the ante. On Friday, he announced he’ll be running for Senate instead. In distinctly Trumpian terms, he explained, “With the country coming apart at the seams and no one willing to really speak the truth about what is happening, the majority population in this country needs someone who will actually give voice to their interests.” Trump didn’t make a specific allusion to the “majority population” (i.e. white people) in his address, but his premise was that leaders haven’t been providing “a straightforward assessment of the state of our nation,” and went on to identify its core problems as urban crime, Mexican immigration, and Muslim terrorists.
“I’m overjoyed to see Donald Trump and most Americans embrace most of the issues that I’ve championed for years,” Duke said. “My slogan remains America first.” (America First, a reference to Charles Lindbergh’s “America First Committee” that accused Jews of driving the country into World War II, is also Trump’s slogan.)
Remember, whether it’s because they agree with Trump, or simply think this is an acceptable price to pay for tax cuts or privatizing Medicare, Republicans have decided they’re OK with this.